A heroine to all
I got Tomb Raider in early and I’ve only played three hours so far but I’ve got to say I am loving it so far. The graphics are fantastic and the game is really atmospheric. It’s not really survival horror but it certainly is creepy, especially that bit where you go into the shack and the music is playing and it’s all a bit Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Not got too much into the combat so far but the bow does seem really great so far. I like the wildlife hunting and the size of the world and there seems plenty of secrets to find. Not sure whether the game has supernatural stuff in it or not yet (I’m glad GC’s review didn’t spoil that) but I like the way Lara is portrayed and so far I’m really liking her as a character. Even though she’s a girl (I don’t mean that in a sexist way, just sometimes it can seem a bit weird playing as a female character when you’re a bloke). Top marks so far.Boris Pendragon

Everything but the name
Hurrah! I got my copy of Tomb Raider early! Boo! I don’t really like it much. Well, actually it’s a bit more complicated than that. I was enjoying it but I kept waiting for it to open up and be about the open world exploration, but it never really is. I mean the levels are open world technically, but they’re so complicated and awkward to get around you’re not really tempted to explore all that much.

And I knew going in this would be all about the combat, but I can’t believe there’s basically no puzzles at all. Or at least none that my dog couldn’t figure out in his sleep. The reason I’m a bit conflicted is that though I think it’s a pretty terrible Tomb Raider game I am enjoying it. The combat is excellent and I like the graphics and the story so far. I just wish it wasn’t called Tomb Raider, because that makes me think it should be something else entirely.Gonzo the Great

Race to the bottom
Do you think that the reason why Nintendo haven’t announced more first party games for the Wii U, nor actual release dates there or thereabouts for the ones that they have, is due to a much smaller number of in-house development teams for the Wii U as opposed to say their handhelds? I say this as last gen the GameCube wasn’t a massive success (despite miraculously making a profit) yet the Game Boy Advance and then DS were really hitting their stride so perhaps they reorganised their internal structure to suit those markets?

Even when the Wii was shifting in the bucket loads you rarely had Big N releasing three or more first party AAA exclusives in any given year – motion controller party games don’t count for me I’m afraid! If I were in their shoes I’d be very worried as only the other week I read that even the so-called beleaguered PS Vita had outsold the Wii U in Japan.Sam

GC: We don’t know what’s going on with Nintendo, or how they thought this plan would work. All we can say is that their preference is not to announce a new game until only a few months before release, and a release date only a few weeks beforehand. The PS Vita did outsell the Wii U last week, following an unofficial price cut (ahead of an official one the week after). But everything that isn’t a 3DS has been selling terribly in Japan for at least a year. Although the PlayStation 3 is a small step ahead the sales are negligible for all the other formats.

Code violation
In keeping with Iwata’s comments about Miiverse being like Twitter for gaming I decided to share my fun experience of Saturday night with the rest of Miiverse. I posted the following comment on the Nintendo Land board:

10 people+alcohol+Mario Chase=Brilliance, who needs ‘Next Gen’

Harmless right? I am after all a 25-year-old and alcohol is a legal substance for me. Apparently not, as I was messaged within four minutes by an admin telling me I was in breach of Miiverse code of conduct and the post deleted.

I contested the ruling after consulting the code of conduct with a pre-scripted response to the admin only to be messages back again with the response ‘after checking the reported post we have determined it is in breach of Miiverse code of conduct’ with no explanation as to how or why which puts me off using the service in the future. I guess Nintendo consider ‘Next Gen’ a dirty word. Anyone else has any similar experiences?Jonny_madrox (PSN ID)/JonnyMcGarrigle (Nintendo ID)

The right time
Any news on the recent PS Vita price cut in Japan finding its way over to European shores? And can anyone recommend where the cheapest prices are to be found. Been toying with the idea of getting one for a while but having recently become a dad I’ve found my gaming time has been severely throttled so the PS Vita seems like decent investment, even more so if it can stream games from the PlayStation 4 (when it’s released) as stated the other week.

In fact, that one feature alone makes it a worthwhile buy, for me anyway. One other thing I would like to see on the platform is more open world style games. The smaller bite-sized missions seem a good fit for handhelds and something like the Mass Effect Trilogy would make me buy a Vita all by itself.Funtimefitzy

GC: There’s been no word yet, but as with the Wii U there’s probably no point until a prominent new game comes out to coincide it with. (Japan has Soul Sacrifice.)

Late delivery
Does anyone else order games and forget they did so? I ordered a little talked about one called Dark Souls from Zavvi on the 30th December (£15 for Prepare To Die Edition) and availability was ‘in stock, usually dispatched within 24 hours’. I had a few others on the way (the superb XCOM and Dishonored) and just forgot about it. I just got an email today stating it’s been dispatched and although an 8+ week delay is pretty shocking it was a pleasant surprise and a kind of bonus.Tommyttlm
PS: Add me, despite many years of gaming I’m still an online gaming virgin – in reality too scared of getting whooped by everyone at everything I think!

GC: You didn’t say whether that’s a gamertag, PSN ID, or other?

Blockbuster games
RE: Mousechime. I did not see the original message by Nick Stevens in reference to playing with your old ‘guys’ (Odd reference indeed) however I would like to agree with your point initially in that although I own both a PlayStation 3 (admittedly broke since 2010 so download only) and an Xbox 360 I also own a Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2 and GameCube and I am looking at buying a Saturn and Dreamcast for old arcade classics, add to this the 1,300 games I have through my MAME collection on my PC.

I certainly do not consider my collection spent once a new console comes along and will often find myself pulled back to some classics like Resident Evil remake on the GameCube for a touch of nostalgia, this does hamper my abilities to finish a lot of modern games though as, quite frankly, I lose interest a lot easier with modern titles than some older games that I am playing for a third or fourth time.

I would disagree in lumping all of the blame of the current state of gaming on the shoulders of casual gamers, these people hate identikit first person shooters and bland third person cover shooters as much as the next man… The problem, at least from my point of view, is that the publishers have got greedy and are trying to get a slice of the Call Of Duty, FIFA, or Mass Effect monies which is ridiculous.

Maybe gaming in the future will have a pop section or an equivalent to the ‘summer blockbuster’ where the gaming similarity of bland tripe devoid of any depth but full of eye popping CGI or auto-tuned identikit ‘singers’ will have its place but there will be a wealth of classics for people willing to dig a little deeper into the industry and genre. Keep in mind we’re in a very young industry that is still finding its feet.Foetus

Moaning about moaning
I see the wailing and gnashing of teeth has started about next gen and gaming in general, I personally won’t be buying in straight away as for one I have over 60 unfinished Xbox 360 games. Secondly, better graphics don’t mean much to a gamer who started playing tennis on a Grandstand console….. ooh shoot the white square! As to moaning about microtransactions, if a game has ‘em and you don’t like it don’t buy it. I don’t go into Asda and buy brie, you know why? Because I don’t like it.

I think gaming has never been so good having seen every generation come and go, I feel spoilt by the wealth of choice. I like shooters, role-playing games, arcade titles, most game types except real-time strategy (the reggae of the gaming world). Second-hand gaming won’t be blocked, they might be mad but they’re not that mad, how much money do they make selling an online pass for a second-hand shooter? They maybe sell four passes for one copy of a game, anyway stop moaning and if you’re really fed up with gaming go and join a knitting club or go for a run.

The moaning about advertising on the Xbox dashboard amazes me, I boot it up click on the disc/download I want to play and I’m off. I couldn’t tell you one thing that’s been advertised on the dashboard, though my short term memory loss may explain that. Lastly, I don’t use my console for anything but gaming, but I’m not bothered if it has apps for Netflix, Facebook, etc. No one’s forcing me to use it. Gaming is dead long live gaming.zombiekicker (gamertag)

GC: We think you’re missing the point about microtransactions. When misused they can unbalance a game or ruin it entirely with busy work or difficulty bottlenecks.

Inbox also-rans
Just seen the Iron Man 3 trailer and it looks fantastic. Still no sign of a game?Granular

GC: Not a sniff of one.

My girlfriend said, ‘Why can’t they just make a game where you have to be nice to people all the time?’ All I could think of was The Sims. Any better ideas?Gary Bannister

GC: Animal Crossing seems the obvious one.

This week’s Hot Topic
The talking point for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Darren, who asks what’s the one in-game Achievement or Trophy you’ve put the most time and effort into getting?

Do you always try to get as many achievements as possible and how important are they to how much enjoyment and value for money you get out of a game? Have you ever bought, or not bought, a game based on its achievements? How important to you is your Gamerscore and do you use websites and videos to get all, or particularly difficult, achievements?

Do you actively pursue achievements from the very start or is it just something you do after you’ve completed the game? Do you think achievements in general are a good idea and how would you like to see them evolve in the next generation?